Traditional tribal order has been turned on it’s head by the taliban and their fellow extremist cousins. To me this almost seems like intra-tribal conflict with the more militant Wazir and Mehsud tribes gunning against the rest. Mix extremist Al Qaeda ideology in this and this just doesn’t look good.
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Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Khyber’s Shinwaris, Afridis feel ‘humiliated’ by LI**
- LI vigilantes abuse, ‘fine’ men for musical ring tones, music in cars * Tribesmen avoid travelling between Landikotal and Peshawar
By Iqbal Khattak
PESHAWAR: Khyber Agency’s Shinwari and Afridi tribesmen say they are abused and humiliated by Lashkar-e-Islam (LI), a private militia, which has taken it upon itself to 'preserve tribal traditions and Islamic values’.
“I feel disgraced and humiliated at the way the LI men treat us at checkposts,” a tribal elder who migrated to Peshawar from Khyber following the emergence of the private militia and the Taliban in the area told Daily Times.
Fines: Mobile phones with musical ring tones or images will be confiscated, a fine of Rs 500 will be imposed on owners of cars playing music and anyone not wearing the local cap will have to pay a Rs 100 fine to the LI vigilantes on the main Torkham highway, tribal sources said.
“The Shinwaris and Afridis have never been disgraced and humiliated in this manner. Sometimes I think we, the proud people of Khyber, are so weak that we cannot face this bunch of people.”
What pains the Shinwaris and Afridis most is the vigilantes swearing at them in women’s presence.
A retired bureaucrat who served in the Tribal Areas as a political agent said a tribesman would prefer death to being called ‘shameless’ in front of his family’s women.
“A tribesman takes pride in being [a] male and when someone dishonours him in front of women, it is like you are stripping him of that pride,” the bureaucrat said.
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Travel: “We have stopped travelling between Landikotal and Peshawar to avoid this humiliation,” said a tribal trader.**
The LI vigilantes are using an abandoned Frontier Corps checkpost on the highway linking Pakistan with Afghanistan.
The LI’s manifesto outlines the group’s campaign for preserving the tribal traditions and Islamic values and declaring war on criminals, mostly kidnappers and car thieves. LI chief Mangal Bagh occasionally uses media for publicity when his vigilantes recover a kidnapped person.
Besides witnessing the rise of the private militia recently, Khyber is also becoming known for the presence of Taliban with strong allegiance to the country’s most-wanted Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud. The Taliban are expanding their sway in the area providing a strategic supply route for NATO and US forces in Afghanistan.
A tribal teacher in Landikotal said the youth were being ‘extremely affected’ by what he called ‘patronised phenomena’.
He said, “Earlier, my sons used to ask questions to increase their knowledge. Today, they ask me who is stronger between the LI and Baitullah Mehsud.”
**“Another thing I notice now is that children play with sandbags, tearing them apart to mimic a suicide attack. You see what trends are influencing the youth now,” the teacher said declining identity.
“We are headed towards complete destruction unless we do something to stop what is happening in Khyber today,” he added.**